Coal-chute.



No. 864,408. PATENTED AUG. 2'7, ,1907.

J. CAMPBELL. Y

COAL CHUTE. Prmu'rlol FILED nu 1o. 190s.

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APPLIOATIOI FILED HAY 10. 1906.

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.IEREMIAH CAMPBELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

COAL-CHUTE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1907.

Application filed May 10, 1906. Serial No. 316,062-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .I EREMIAH CAMPBELL, oi Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new anduseiul Improvement in Coal-Chutes, of which the following is a specication.

My purpose is to do away with the noise caused by the rattling oi coal down the sheet iron chute now so generally used for the purpose oi discharging coal from wagons, and my purpose is accomplished by providing a chute in which the sides are rigid, md while in use the chute itself comprises a rigid frame within which is stretched a flooring of heavy canvas or the like on which the coal slides down, the chute being either collapsible or not as may be desired.

I have shown in the drawings a simple construction for such chute, the chute being made in two forms in each of which when irfuse, the canvas is stretched upon a rigid frame, in one case the frame being a knock-down frame, so that the chute may be folded for transportation. f

My invention will be understood from the drawings, in which* Figure lis a side elevation oi a chute embodying my invention in position for use; Fig. 2 being a plan; Fig. 3 a rear elevation; Fig. 4 a detail showing the means of attaching the canvas to the chute; Fig. 5 a detail of the upper end of the chute, the braces being omitted; and Figs. 6 and 7 showing a modification to be described below.

The chute comprises a frame having rigid sides A, A, braced by metallic straps B, B1, having upturned ends `b which are bolted to the sides A and serve to brace them apart.

C is the flooring of the chute which is made oi canvas or other like flexible material of sumcent strength to serve the purpose of the chute without being noisy. As shown, this `canvas is attached at its upper edge to a cross plate C1 by bolts b2 which also pass through a clamp bl between which and the end of the apron the canvas is clamped.4 The brace B1 holds the plate C1 up against the under edge of the sides A, which are cut away to form a shoulder a1 against which the lower edge of the plate rests.

The canvas bottom O of the chute is preferably attached to the two sides of the chute in the following manner: Each side has a slit c running up from its under edge along its entire length forming jaws a ben tween which an edge c1 of the canvas piece is forced, and the two parts are clamped together by bolts c2. In addition to this means of holding each edge of the canvas strip in place I provide a clear D of a width equal to the width of the side A, which is screwed to its under edge by screws d which screw into the` slit c and assist in drawing the canvas taut so that the flooring of the chute is substantially flat.

In addition to the parts above described I provide a support for the upper end of the chute, this support being preferably a frame comprising legs E, a horizontal bar e near their bottom and cross braces e1 which serve to firmly brace them together. To the upper end of each leg E I attach an eye f through which passes a rod F having upturned ends f1 which are screwed to the sides A. This serves as a convenient means oi sup porting the upper end oi the chute and one which can be iolded against the bottom of the chute ior convenience in transportation.

The chute shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is similar to that shown in Figs. l and 2 except that the cross bars, while performing the :functions of the cross bars B, B1, in-Figs. l and 2, are hinged as shown at B2, B3, by

a common hinge, and are each provided with an ordinary sliding bolt B4 which runs in eyes B5, this construction being such'that when the bolt is withdrawn the parts may be folded and when it is desired to use the chute the parts are opened and the bolts throwninto the position shown in Fig. 6, so that the chute when in use is supported by a rigid frame. The plate C1 in this case is provided with a similarhinge, C2. In this case, also, the support must be removable. I have shown in Fig. 7 such a support, which is in all respects like that shown in Fig. 3. It is attached to the chute, however, by means of a bolt G passing through eyes g suspended from the upper end of the two sides of the chute and eyes g1 upon the upper ends of the legs E.

It is believed from the above description that my invention will be fully understood.

So far as I know, a chute comprising a rigid frame and flexible flooring has never before been used and its convenience both for the purpose of deadening noise and for the purpose of easy transportation will be very easily understood, and it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the attachment of such a flooring to the frame maybe made in other ways than that above described.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A coal chute having-a flexible flooring and a knockdown frame adapted to support the same inan operative position.

2, A coal chute having a iiexible ilooring, rigid sides, and rigid cross bars adapted to be knocked down, whereby said chute may be collapsed.

3. A coal chute having; a flexible ooring, rigid sides, knock-down cross bars, and a support adapted to be temporarily attached to one end of said chute, as set forth.

4. A coal chute having rigid sides and a iexible ooring, each side being slotted alongits under edge, and means for holding the edge of the flexible material forming the bottom of said chute within said slot, as described.

5. A coal chute having rigid sides and flexible flooring, bolts passing through said sides, said slots and exible 10 each side having a slot along its under edge, each edge of material of which said bottom is composed, cleats running the tlexible material forming said flexible flooring being the length of the lower edges of said sides, and screws located within one of said slots, and bolts passing through passing up through said cleats and slots in said sides and the lower portion of said sides and said iiexible material, engaging the edges of the flexible bottom. as described. l JEREMIAH CAMPBELLY 6. A coal chute having rigid sides and a flexible flooring, In presence ofand means for holding the material forming said ilexible M. E. FLAHERTY, llooring to said rigid sides comprising slots in said sides,v M. V. FOLEY. 

